1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a belt for underwater diving and more particularly to a belt having weights attached for use by underwater divers. The weights are used by divers to overcome the buoyancy force of water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Belts for underwater diving have been known and used for many years. These belts have been effective in overcoming the buoyancy associated with diving. This buoyancy force makes it difficult for divers to ascend. However, there are situations experienced while diving when the diver needs to access the surface of the water quickly. In which case, the diver needs to rid him or her self of the extra weight associated with the weight belt. This has been done in the past by dropping the entire weight belt. Thus the diver would lose the belt and any equipment attached to it that was not removed before releasing the belt.
Since the belt is only dropped in an emergency, speed of weight removal is essential. Therefore, dive belts containing individual pockets of weight also have to be removed entirely as time may be of the essence, thus not allowing for the individual pockets to be emptied.
Accordingly, prior dive belts have to be removed entirely in the event of an emergency. These belts often are utilized to carry other equipment, thus in the event of an emergency, both the belt and the equipment are discarded, resulting in not only a loss of the dive belt but also the attached equipment. Hence, if emergency situations occur often and require the weight belt and attached equipment to be lost, the enjoyment and participation in the sport of scuba diving may be prohibited to certain divers due to cost considerations.
Furthermore, because the belt may have to be dropped, it could not be used to attach a supplemental air supply system. In that case, the supplemental air supply system must be mounted on the diver separately from the belt causing additional encumbrances during normal dive conditions.
Of particular interest in pointing out some of the prior art limitations with previous dive belts are the following U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,935, issued to B. Chanbonnet, is for a belt structure, particularly for accessories thereto. The Chanbonnet reference discloses a belt structure for carrying dive equipment which comprises a closure strap having at least one free portion on the surface of which are secured at least two first securement elements in the form of loops. The second securement is carried by a wing of a substantially rigid dorsal carrying element, so as to modify the effective length of the free portion according to different sizes of the user. The belt structure disclosed is provided to overcome the problems associated with different size users of a belt. Thus, this invention allows divers of various sizes to use the same belt. However, for divers to free themselves of the weight of this belt, it is necessary to remove the entire belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,305, issued to W. L. Courtney, is a weight belt for underwater diving. The Courtney reference discloses a weight belt for underwater diving wherein the belt is provided with elongated panels for interconnecting pockets for receiving and containing dive weights. The panels being interconnected by one or more belt portions and adjustable buckles or the like for positioning the panels about the diver""s waist are permitting them to be adjustably positioned in centered relation on the diver""s hips. The panels are preferably formed with multiple pockets facilitating arrangement about the diver""s hips. The lower edge of each panel also has a configuration for conforming with the diver""s hips. This invention provides a weight belt which is adaptable for divers of different sizes and configured to greatly enhance a diver""s comfort. Furthermore, D-rings can also be provided with the weight belt for attaching accessories such as flashlights, cameras, etc. to the weight belt. However, for a diver to get rid of the weight, the entire belt needs have to be removed. Therefore, any accessories attached to the said D-rings are also dropped with the belt.
Other references, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,525, issued to H. L. Perla, U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,299, issued to D. B. Duncan and U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,636, issued to D. F. Mason all pertain to diver""s weight belts. These references like the ones mentioned above all suffer from the same limitation, which is that they must be removed entirely in order to get rid of the weights.
Thus what is needed in the art is a dive belt having removable weight members, which can be discarded without removing the entire dive belt. It is therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings that the present invention is directed.
The present invention generally discloses a dive belt constructed for quick removal of preferably a pair of weights, associated with the belt, in the event of an emergency. The belt remains in place and is not discarded as the weights are quickly and easily dropped. Thus, a diver can access the surface quickly, without worrying about the typical problems associated with dropping the entire weight belt. The invention also allows the weights to be dropped by the simple procedure of pulling a rip cord to free the weight contained in a pouch which is normally housed within a pocket secured to the belt. The invention further allows the attachment of a supplemental air supply system. The air supply system is positioned on the belt, horizontally across the diver""s back such that a standard dive tank could be worn in conjunction with the supplemental air system. This mounting configuration of the supplemental air system has the advantage of greater mobility for the diver when wearing the present invention.
The supplemental air system could also be utilized as a primary tank for short duration dives so that a standard tank system which is typically much larger and separately mounted on a diver""s back would not be needed.
The invention is constructed to allow the belt to contract when a diver reaches superior depths. As a diver ascends in water, compression decreases the diver""s waist size and an elastic depth compensator of the present invention allows the belt to contract with the diver""s waistline, insuring proper fit at any depth.
Finally, the invention as described below, allows for operation in conjunction with the surface air supply system. The hose that typically runs from a surface air supply system is attached to the belt and then used by the diver through a mouthpiece. In past use, the hose would go from the air supply system directly to the diver""s mouthpiece. This configuration suffers the problem of the hose tugging directly on the mouthpiece being utilized by the diver. By attaching the hose to the dive belt, any tugging occurs at the waist of the diver. Therefore, the present invention can alleviate the discomfort of mouthpiece tugging and stop the mouthpiece from being dislodged altogether.
It is the primary objective of this invention to provide a belt with an integrated weight system, balanced for proper trim and with in either hand, quick ditch system, to release the weight system quickly and easily, while allowing the belt to remain in place.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a belt that is less costly to use in scuba diving by preventing the need to discard the belt and any equipment attached thereto in the event of an emergency.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a belt that is less costly to use in scuba diving by allowing the belt to be reused after dropping weights by securing new weights to belt.
It is an object of the invention to provide a belt that can be used for attaching equipment and providing a management system for managing said attached equipment and air hoses. The equipment and management system will not discarded with the weights in the event of an emergency.
Another object of the invention is to allow attaching a piece of equipment known as a supplemental air system. The supplemental air system is a small tank that is positioned horizontally on the belt across a diver""s back, allowing for increased mobility.